About APC

Vision

We envision Accabonac Harbor as a thriving, healthy ecosystem: its waters clean, its wildlife abundant, its shorelines intact, enjoyed and protected by a community that understands its value and takes responsibility for its future.

For more than four decades, that vision has guided everything we do: the science we commission, the policies we advocate for, the programs we run, and the partnerships we build. We believe that lasting environmental protection requires both rigorous research and genuine community engagement. When people know a place, they fight to keep it.

Mission

The Accabonac Protection Committee protects, enhances, and restores the ecological health of Accabonac Harbor.

Founded in 1985, we pursue this mission through four areas of work: improving water quality through science-based advocacy and targeted remediation; educating our community about the issues that affect the harbor and the practices that can help; creating opportunities for residents and visitors to responsibly enjoy and connect with the harbor and its preserves; and stewarding Pussy’s Pond Nature Preserve through the East Hampton Town Adopt-a-Preserve Program.

We are a community-led nonprofit rooted in Springs, NY, working in partnership with East Hampton Town, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society, and other local organizations.

Board of Directors

History

Accabonac Protection Committee was founded in 1985 by a group of Springs residents who recognized that Accabonac Harbor needed a dedicated local voice. What began as the Cape Gardiner Civic Association, active since at least 1964, became APC as the focus sharpened around protecting the ecological integrity of the harbor.

Among the founders were Cile Downs, Betty Franey, Perdita Schaffner, and Sarah Lewis — community members whose deep ties to Springs and to the harbor gave the organization its roots and its resolve.

In the decades since, APC has expanded from grassroots advocacy to a comprehensive conservation program: co-funding water quality research, facilitating land acquisitions, stewarding local preserves, and, with the help of other environmental organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Peconic Estuary Program, Group for East End and the Perfect Earth Project, run educational programs that have engaged hundreds of community members in restoration and cleanup projects, nature outings and public forums.

Today, APC continues that work, grounded in science, driven by community, and focused on ensuring Accabonac Harbor remains healthy and accessible for generations to come.

The Founders

Our Impact

Since 1985, APC has worked across four areas — water quality, education, responsible enjoyment, and preservation stewardship — to protect Accabonac Harbor in concrete, measurable ways.

We advocated successfully for the Harbor Protection Overlay District, co-funded the harbor’s first nitrogen source study, helped initiate programs that reduced pesticide use and supported the restoration of sand dunes and natural vegetation to slow coastal erosion. APC established the Adopt-a-Road program and engaged Springs School students in environmental stewardship. Here are a few other highlights.

Harbor Protection Overlay District

The APC successfully advocated for the enactment of the Harbor Protection Overlay District and continues to lobby for expanded watershed coverage.

Water Quality Testing & Remediation

APC conducts water quality testing under Cornell Cooperative Extension guidance and launched an ongoing nitrogen mitigation program beginning in 2016.

Multiple Land Acquisitions Facilitated

We have helped facilitate acquisitions of the Weitzman, Kligman, Dodge, Filipelli, Nivola, Potter, Gerard parcels and many other properties, protecting critical
harbor-adjacent land.